Golden State Warriors: How does D’Angelo Russell fit on the roster?

The Golden State Warriors’ newly acquired guard D’Angelo Russell will hopefully ease the pain of Kevin Durant’s departure, but how does he fit in with the team?

The first night of NBA free agency was a wild one for the Golden State Warriors, one with twists, turns, and a whole lot of activity. But at the end of the day, Warriors fans have to be happy with the outcome.

Of course, the early news of Kevin Durant‘s departure was an unfortunate blow that couldn’t be righted, no matter how apparent it became in the hours and days leading up to his decision. But it’s hard not to be optimistic about how things turned out.

Rather than simply letting Durant walk in free agency to join the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State made sure that they received something in return. And that something came in the form of 2019 All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell.

With the Nets acquiring former Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, Russell was expected to be a hot commodity on the open market entering the offseason as a restricted free agent. And with good reason too as Russell was fresh off a breakout campaign in which he received the first All-Star bid of his career.

Oh, and he’s still only 23-years-old too.

The hope is that Russell alleviates the loss of Durant and fills in for Klay Thompson in the short-term while the All-Star shooting guard recovers from a torn ACL he suffered in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

There are some causes for concern like his fit in the team’s offense and his role once Thompson returns, but overall it’s hard to be upset about this move. Golden State made sure that they received something in return for the loss of their superstar.

And that something is a budding, young star in his own right.

While it certainly hurts to lose a veteran piece like Andre Iguodala — as the Warriors were forced to trade him away to the Memphis Grizzlies to clear cap space — the upside of this move is too much to pass up on.

Russell excelled as a ball-handler at the top of the key running Brooklyn’s offense to perfection en route to averages of 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game. He was particularly effective in the pick-and-roll game as he was second in the league in total pick-and-rolls behind only Kemba Walker.

However, handling at the top of the key and pick-and-rolls aren’t exactly the bread and butter of the Warriors offense. Instead, Golden State has relied heavily on ball movement and motion to get open looks for the team’s shooters.

This could make the transition for Russell a bit more difficult than you would hope.

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Furthermore, it’s fair to question how he and Stephen Curry will play together on the court. While in Brooklyn, the Nets ran their offense through Russell and it will be interesting to see how two players who primarily play point guard and run an offense can coexist.

But perhaps the most concerning issue will come with the potential defensive deficiencies.

Russell isn’t a particularly strong defender as, even though he stands at 6-foot-5, he just isn’t physical or strong enough to match up with other two-guards. Even last year, Russell ranked just 58th in defensive real plus-minus and that was matching up primarily with point guards.

And with Iguodala gone and Shaun Livingston and Kevon Looney potentially soon to follow, Golden State is going to need to get all of the defensive help that they could get. A backcourt of Curry and Russell, while intriguing offensively, just doesn’t offer much defensively.

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Still, this is a move that can’t be seen as anything other than a win-win.

Russell is still young and if the Warriors decide that there isn’t room for him and two healthy “Splash Brothers,” there will likely be no shortage of suitors. Given that Golden State is in quite the cap bind now, moving Russell might not be the worst idea as it would free up some cap to sign depth and extend Draymond Green.

Or perhaps Russell will stick around long-term and be the newest piece of the Warriors core. The team could explore playing Thompson at small forward down the line or even having Russell come off the bench as a star-studded sixth man.

Either way, the Warriors come out on top as winners.

There may be some concerns and perhaps Russell doesn’t quite fit their offense, but talent is talent. And talent has a funny way of shining through no matter the circumstances.